Study of a Girl's Head and Shoulders (1896–97): Artwork and History

Study of a Girl's Head and Shoulders (1896–97) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903).

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

In addition to large-scale portraits, James McNeill Whistler created small-scale likenesses, often on wood panel, as in this painting of a young sitter. A well-known beauty, Olga Caracciolo lived in Dieppe, France, likely where this work was executed, and later married the photographer Adolf de Meyer. Rather than a swift, abbreviated study for a larger composition, Whistler considered a work such as this to be a satisfying aesthetic whole. Indeed, small paintings serve as invitations for an intimate viewing experience and contemplation of the artist’s harmonies of color and form.

Object facts

• Title: Study of a Girl's Head and Shoulders
• Date: 1896–97
• Artist attribution: James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903)
• Place of origin: United States
• Medium: Oil on panel
• Dimensions: 15.5 × 9.5 cm (6 1/8 × 3 3/4 in.)
• Type: Painting
• Department: Arts of the Americas
• Reference number: 1933.212

Collection credit

Walter S. Brewster Collection

View the original

Explore the artwork in the Art Institute's collection, including its image and the museum's current catalogue details.

The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.